The Motive platform offers multiple driver identification methods to ensure the correct driver is assigned to a vehicle, improving safety, compliance, and productivity. It helps eliminate unassigned trips and ensures accurate data across the Motive platform. Fleet managers and safety managers can verify driver identity, review driver details, and take relevant actions from multiple pages across the Dashboard, such as Fleet View, Safety, and Fuel.
Overview
Identifying the driver behind each wheel is essential for managing your fleet efficiently. Motive’s driver identification features provide various methods to quickly and accurately identify drivers, reducing unassigned trips and saving time. This improves accountability, supports accurate safety coaching, compliance reporting, and operational analysis.
- Increase productivity: Minimize time spent assigning unassigned trips and resolving log issues.
- Improve safety and accountability: Link driving behavior and safety events to the correct driver for effective coaching and investigation.
- Enhance compliance: Reduce log errors and ensure hours of service (HOS) records are accurate.
- Strengthen security: Prevent unauthorized vehicle use by ensuring every trip has an identified driver.
Identification methods
You can use one method or combine multiple options to match your fleet’s operations.
Driver App
Drivers select their vehicle in the Motive Driver App, which connects to the Vehicle Gateway via Bluetooth. This method automatically links trip data to the driver. If a driver forgets to connect, the app suggests the likely driver based on past trip data. This method is recommended for fleets that follow ELD regulations.
Face Match
Using a dual-facing AI Dashcam (DC-54), this feature identifies the driver through facial recognition. It helps with coaching and incident reviews, and for ELD-regulated drivers, it sends suggested trip assignments for approval.
Face Match requires the DC-54 AI Dashcam and is not available in Illinois due to privacy regulations.
ID Reader
Drivers tap their ID card on the Motive ID Reader to identify themselves. This method is quick and passcode-free. Alerts can be set when a driver forgets to scan their ID.
Manual assignment
Authorized users can manually assign unclaimed trips in the Trips page of the Motive Dashboard. For ELD drivers, log suggestions must be approved in the Driver App. With the enhanced experience, you can also assign or reassign drivers directly from the contextual menu that appears when clicking a driver’s name anywhere in the Fleet View, Safety hub, and Fuel hub. Selecting this option automatically opens the relevant trip for assignment, making it faster to correct or update driver associations.
Static pairing
A driver can be permanently assigned to a vehicle. This is best for fleets where one driver always uses the same vehicle, such as owner-operators. This is not recommended for slip-seat fleets or ELD-regulated drivers.
Integrations
If your fleet uses platforms like Geotab or Platform Science, driver information can be sent through API and automatically linked to trip data in the Motive platform.
Choosing a method
The best driver identification method depends on your fleet’s operations, hardware, and compliance needs.
To maintain HOS and ELD compliance:
- Use the Driver App as the primary method to ensure proper log certification.
- Add Face Match to automatically generate log suggestions for approval.
The hardware you have:
- Dual-facing AI Dashcam (DC-54): Required for Face Match.
- ID Reader: Required for the ID Reader method.
- No dashcam or ID Reader hardware: Use the Driver App or Static Pairing.
The drivers’ behavior and operations:
- Use Face Match or ID Reader if drivers don’t reliably use the Driver App.
- Choose static pairing for drivers assigned to a specific vehicle.
- Avoid static pairing for slip-seat operations.
Example scenarios:
- Dedicated long-haul driver with AI Dashcam: For a driver who consistently uses the same truck, combine static pairing and Face Match for reliable, automated identification.
- Local delivery fleet with slip-seating: For operations where drivers change vehicles daily, use the Driver App with Face Match or ID Reader to ensure each trip is properly attributed.
- Exempt fleet without mobile devices: For fleets not subject to ELD regulations, use ID Reader for fast driver identification.
Using Driver Walkthroughs to improve identification
To reduce unassigned trips, use Driver Walkthroughs to prompt identification steps. For example, a Beginning of Day walkthrough can include actions like Connect to Vehicle and Update Log Form, ensuring drivers are properly identified at the start of each shift.
Driver details and actions across the Fleet Dashboard
To improve consistency and visibility into driver identity, Motive now provides enhanced hover and click interactions anywhere a driver’s name appears across the Fleet, Safety, and Fuel hubs of the Dashboard.
These interactions allow users to quickly verify identified or unidentified drivers, review context, and take action without leaving the current page.
Hover tooltips
When you hover over a driver’s name, you will see:
- Identification method (Face Match, ID Reader, Static Pairing, API, etc.)
- Driver image, if available from a dashcam
- Unidentified driver status, when no driver is linked to the trip
This gives instant clarity into who was driving and how they were identified.
Toggletips
Clicking a driver’s name opens a contextual menu showing:
- Driver image, if available from a dashcam
- Identification method (Face Match, ID Reader, Static Pairing, API, etc.)
- Assign or Reassign option is available across all pages and opens the trip directly for update. When a driver is assigned, the Reassign Driver button appears. When a driver is not assigned, the Assign Driver button appears.
- Contextual quick actions, depending on the page, for example:
- Safety: View Driver Safety Profile
- Fleet View: View Driver Live (if the trip is in progress)
- Driver Summary: Every driver has a driver summary. When a driver is identified, the View Driver Summary button appears.
This menu helps managers verify, investigate, and correct driver associations more efficiently.
Where this information appears
The hover and click driver details are available in the following tabs:
Fleet View
- Main Map
- Vehicle Live / Driver Live
- Trip History
- Trips
Safety Hub
- Events
- Speeding
- Requests
Fuel Hub
- Idling Events
| Note: Fleet View > Trips and Safety Hub tabs (Trips, Events, Speeding, Requests) and Fuel Hub > Idling Events display a dedicated Driver Name/ID column. On other pages (e.g., Main Map, History, Live pages, Trip History), the same hover and click functionality appears wherever the driver’s name is shown, even though it is not presented in a separate column. |
FAQs
What is the most reliable method for ELD-compliant fleets?
The Driver App is the primary method required for ELD compliance, as drivers must use it to manage and certify their logs. Face Match and ID Reader can supplement the Driver App by automating trip identification and reducing unassigned trips.
What happens if a driver forgets to scan their ID with the ID Reader?
The system can be configured to send alerts if a vehicle begins moving before the driver scans their ID. Alerts can be sent to the driver and/or dispatcher as a reminder to complete the identification step.
Can Face Match be used for all drivers?
Face Match requires a dual-facing AI Dashcam (DC-54) and is not available in Illinois due to privacy laws. Fleets must also obtain any required driver consent before enabling this feature.
Can a fleet manager override an AI-identified trip?
Yes. A fleet user can manually reassign a trip at any time, even if it was initially assigned using Face Match or data from the Driver App.
What is the difference between static pairing and using the Driver App?
Static pairing permanently links a driver to one vehicle, which is best for dedicated routes where drivers use the same vehicle daily. The Driver App allows any driver to select any vehicle, which is essential for slip-seat operations and for ELD compliance, where drivers must choose their vehicle at the start of each shift.
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